1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to management technology for a network device, particularly a network input/output device such as a printer, a scanner or a facsimile locally connected to an information processing apparatus such as a computer or the like.
2. Related Background Art
For example in a network system in which plural terminal or host apparatus such as a personal computer (hereinafter also represented as PC) are so connected as to be capable of mutual communication, there is known a system allowing to use various devices (hereinafter also called resources) for example a printer, an image input device such as a scanner or a disk driver locally connected to a terminal apparatus from other terminal apparatus through the network.
In such conventional network system, however, it has not been possible to manage the resources (commonly shared devices) usable by other terminal apparatus through the network and to efficiently check the status of each resource. More specifically it has not been possible to confirm the status of a commonly shared device desired on the network by designating such device. Also it has not been possible to automatically acquire the latest status information of the commonly shared device on the network.